As we grew up, the media and society made us feel like we needed to have a big group of friends in order to feel cool or “popular”. A lot of us tended to focus on how many friends we had rather than how many good, true friends we actually had. It can sometimes be difficult within a large group to form a strong connection with everyone and determine that they are one of your real friends that you know you can always count on. There is a difference between an acquaintance that you spend good times with and a true friend who will always be there for you during both the good times and the bad times.
I find that tough times are when you really find out who your true friends are. There may be some people who you think will be there for you and aren’t which can really hurt, but there also might be people who surprise you and are there for you even if you didn’t particularly think that they would be. It’s during the hard times that you really begin to learn how to differentiate between “good-time friends” and “all-the-time friends”. It’s important to know this difference, not so that you stop spending time with some of them, but so that you know who you can always and truly rely on.
I think that it was during high school that I really began to learn that quality over quantity in friendships was important to me. I learned that I would rather have fewer friends that I was close with and have some acquaintances rather than have a large group of friends that are more like acquaintances. Being able to know who exactly I could count on during the good and the bad was important to me, and it honestly helped me stay out of high school drama.
Going to university can be difficult because your friends may not be going to the same school as you and you could be moving to different cities. However, distance can’t break up friendships. Despite change and growth, there are some friends whom no matter how long it has been since you last saw or spoke to them, you will be able to reconnect as if no time has passed at all. Losing touch with a friend doesn’t always mean that you are no longer friends but rather you’re both growing and changing. One day, you will be able to come back together at some point to share this with one another. After all, you can never really lose a good friend.
Good friendships can at times be hard to come by, but when you find them, stick with them no matter what. Times will come when you need your good friends and when they will need you. Just remember, sometimes less is more!